Top Hanley Wood Execs Bid Adieu

Hanley Wood Exhibitions President Galen Poss and Executive Vice President Michael Green abruptly resigned June 15 in what Poss called a “contract dispute with Hanley Wood over compensation payments owed for performance.”

Poss added, “We are disappointed that a mutually agreeable outcome could not be achieved."

Green said, “We had employment contracts that had certain terms and conditions that were not met.”

Hanley Wood CEO Frank Anton said former Senior Vice President Rick McConnell would be acting president of the exhibitions division, and, once a permanent president is named, that person will no longer report to him, but to Peter Goldstone, president of Hanley Wood Business Media, in an attempt to “streamline the process.”

Anton added “we haven't announced anything more as of yet,” and he would not comment further on the resignations.

Poss and Green also said they would not discuss specifics of the situation, citing legal issues. Poss did say of the contract dispute, “Until this matter is resolved, we'll be focusing on that.”

Anton added Hanley Wood Exhibitions will move forward with its strategic plan to acquire more shows, possibly including some outside of the construction industry.

“Galen and Michael leaving wasn't in the cards, but we are still wholly committed to tradeshows, and we want the business to continue to grow like it has for the last 10 years," he said. "We think we still have a pretty good team in place.”

In January 2000, when Poss and Green launched Hanley Wood Exhibitions, the parent company had one show. The duo eventually would grow that portfolio to, at one point, 17 shows.

Poss met Green in 1979 when they both worked for the Automotive Services Assn. in Austin, Texas. Poss was in the meetings department, and Green, the controller. They hit it off, and a long-lasting friendship and business partnership ensued.

They eventually teamed up as co-owners of Prestige Planning and Sales, which was acquired by Miller Freeman in 1993. After private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson bought Hanley Wood in 1999 and then purchased World of Concrete, Poss and Green were asked to join the company and launch Hanley Wood Exhibitions.

“They were strong in publishing, but they didn't have any exhibition products when the company was sold to VSS,” Green said. “They were looking for someone to manage (World of Concrete) and make more acquisitions.”

Even though Hanley Wood Exhibitions, with its emphasis on residential construction shows, recently has struggled because of the knocks to the housing market and the downturn in the economy, Poss and Green grew a company that now touts 12 shows, four of which are on the 2009 Tradeshow Week 200.

Poss and Green both said they were uncertain about the future.

“This is an incredibly exciting time in the tradeshow industry,” Poss said. “The environment is unstable and fluid, and the conventional approaches to the tradeshow industry will change over the next five years.”

He added, “We will just see what opportunities come up.”

Green said, though he's been in the tradeshow industry since 1984, he isn't sure he'll stick with it. “I'm a business manager, and I could go into other industries,” he added. “It depends on what other opportunities come around.”

No matter what, Green said, it is likely the two would continue to work together.

He added, “Our strengths and weaknesses counter each other. We make a good team, (and) it's a strong likelihood we will stay together.”

Green said they both are open to working with entities that would like to use their services to “create or grow an existing entity in the tradeshow business. We would certainly be interested in talking with them about that.”

For the time being, he added, “We're recharging our batteries right now, and we will take our time to (make a decision). That's not a bad thing.”